Julia Donaldson: The Giant Jumperee

When: Tue., April 18, 7 p.m. 2017

If you've had kids in the last five to ten years, you likely know the rhyming tales of former U.K. Children's Laureate Julia Donaldson, whose 184 (!) books are staples of children's bookshelves and school reading programs around the world. Her biggest success, 1999's The Gruffalo, tells of a clever mouse that outwits predators with tales of an even deadlier predator; it's been adapted into stage versions and an Oscar-nominated animated short, as was Donaldson's witch tale Room on the Broom. Her latest, The Giant Jumperee, is about a mysterious creature scaring a group of animal friends ... and we couldn't spoil the story if we wanted to, because Donaldson is coming to Quail Ridge directly from England to promote the book on the day it's published. In other words, this is a rock-star-level event for kids. You might want to preorder a copy of The Giant Jumperee for a signing-line ticket before it fills up. Donaldson will also sign older works with a purchase of The Giant Jumperee. —Zack Smith